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President's 2019 Budget Request Includes Investments in Law Enforcement

According to a press release from the United States Department of Justice, President Trump’s FY 2019 Budget proposal totals $28 billion for the Department of Justice to support federal law enforcement and criminal justice priorities of our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners. The press release states that the "request represents a comprehensive investment in the Justice mission and includes increases in funding for strengthening security efforts to reduce violent crime, enforce the nation’s immigration laws, combat the opioid epidemic, and continues its commitment to national security."

“The Department of Justice has the noble task of keeping the American people safe from drugs, gangs, and terrorists, and this budget proposal reflects our commitment to do just that,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “President Trump has ordered us to accomplish these goals by supporting state and local law enforcement, dismantling transnational organized crime, and working to bring down crime rates. For the last year, we have aggressively carried out that agenda and have already seen major successes that benefit the American people. Congress should invest in these efforts—because all of us benefit from a safer America.”

The Department of Justice’s areas of investment include:

• +$295 million in program enhancements and transfers to fight the opioid crisis and support law enforcement safety. Additional resources will be devoted to combatting transnational criminal organizations, known for supplying illicit substances to the United States.

• +$65.9 million in immigration related program enhancements to enhance border security and immigration enforcement. These investments will also improve our ability to conduct immigration hearings to help combat illegal immigration.

• +$109.2 million to strengthen federal law enforcement’s ability to reduce violent crime.

• +$13 million for the Criminal Division to support Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) reform.

• $3.9 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding for federal grants to state, local, and tribal law enforcement and victims of crime, to ensure greater safety for law enforcement personnel and the people they serve. Critical programs aimed at protecting the life and safety of state and local law enforcement personnel, including the Public Safety Partnership Program and the Project Safe Neighborhood Program, demonstrate our continuing commitment to supporting state, local, and tribal law enforcement.

Protecting the American people from violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice. Unfortunately, in recent years, crime has been on the rise in too many places across the country. FBI statistics show that, in 2015 and 2016, the United States experienced the largest increases in violent crime in a quarter-century. Over those two years, violent crime increased by nearly 7%. Robberies, assaults, and rapes all increased, and murder increased by a shocking 20%.

In 2017, the Department made some great strides, including the launch of the enhanced Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. The Department brought cases against the greatest number of violent criminals in at least 25 years—since the Department began tracking a “violent crime” category. Although preliminary numbers for 2017 show a decrease, violent crime rates are still excessively high.

The FY 2019 budget requests $109.2 million in program enhancements to reduce violent crime and combat transnational criminal organizations. These resources will enable the Department to dismantle the worst criminal organizations, target the most violent offenders, and protect the public.

The FY 2019 President’s Budget strengthens the Nation’s security through stronger enforcement of the Nation’s immigration laws. The Department is requesting $65.9 million in immigration-related program enhancements for FY 2019, which will enhance border security and immigration enforcement. These investments will also improve our ability to conduct immigration hearings to help combat illegal immigration to the United States by expanding capacity, improving efficiency, and removing impediments to the timely administration of justice. This budget supports the Department’s efforts, along with our partners at the Department of Homeland Security, to fix our immigration system.

The United States is in the midst of the deadliest drug epidemic in American history. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 63,600 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016, a 21% increase from the previous year. Over 42,200, or approximately two-thirds, of these overdose deaths were caused by heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioids. The President declared this scourge a National Public Health Emergency in October 2017, and the Department remains committed to doing its part to protect the American people from the impact of drugs and drug-related crime nationwide.

The FY 2019 budget requests $295 million in program enhancements and transfers to combat the opioid crisis and bolster drug enforcement efforts. These resources will enable the Department to target those drug trafficking organizations most responsible for the opioid epidemic and drug-related violence in our communities, as well as ensure the life and safety of first responders who are on the front lines protecting the American people.

The Justice Department is committed to reducing violent crime and addressing the opioid epidemic. Federal law enforcement officers constitute only 15% of the total number of law enforcement officers nationwide; therefore, 85% of the officer support relies upon strong partnership with state and local law enforcement. The Department supports its partners in state and local law enforcement, who have critical intelligence about violent crime in their communities, and whose actions are crucial in the fight against violent crime and the opioid epidemic.

The FY 2019 Budget continues its commitment to state, local and tribal law enforcement by investing approximately $3.9 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding in programs to assist them. Funding has been prioritized to meet the most pressing law enforcement concerns – violent crime and opioid abuse – and to help the victims of crime.

The President’s Administration is committed to establishing a smaller, leaner federal government that reduces, both, bureaucracy and costs to the American taxpayer. Since 2017, the Department of Justice has undertaking efforts to refocus resources and turn our efforts back to our core mission. To support the President’s Executive Order 13781 on reorganizing the Executive Branch, the Department of Justice has begun taking steps to streamline itself and to save taxpayer dollars. As part of the FY 2019 President’s Budget, the Department is proposing a number of initiatives to achieve savings, to reduce the size of government, and maximize agency performance.

THE DISCIPLINE of forensic podiatry—or, in other words, the examination of pedal evidence—has progressed significantly over the past ten years. It is no longer a question of “What can you do with a footprint?” but rather, “Who can we use to evaluate the footprint?” Cases involving pedal evidence, especially bloody footprints and issues of determining shoe sizing or fit issues compared to questioned footwear, have become more common over the past two or three years.